I'm a 39 year old female and I started
having feelings of deja vu while pregnant
with my youngest son. I didn't think
much of it until I awoke one night to find
3 strange men in my bedroom waiting to
take me to the hospital. My husband
explained that I had a grand mal seizure
in my sleep (i didn't believe him until I
saw evidence of blood on my pillow from
biting my tongue.) that was 10 years ago
and i've been on dilantin ever since.
While i've never had another grand mal
seizure, I do experience what i've since
learned were temporal lobe seizures (deja
vu's) pretty regularly. My neurologist
has never been able to find a cause, and
has attempted to adjust my medication
quite often, adding different drugs at
different times. In addition to the
dilantin, i've also taken neurontin and I
am currently taking topomax.
It is so hard to explain to someone who
has never experienced these feelings what
they are like. When I stumbled across
this forum, it was so nice to hear from
people who actually understood what I
felt. When I try to explain the fear
that comes along with these feelings of
deja vu to others, they simply can not
understand why. And to be honest, when I
look back on the episodes (what I can
remember of them) I can't imagine what is
so scary about them either. All I know
is that when I experience them - usually
in the mornings, listening to the radio
getting ready for work, I get weak in the
knees, sick in the stomach and get a
horrible metallic taste in my mouth from
the fear. I often get a slight headache
following them also. It's nice to know
that i'm not some weirdo out there and
that even though we may not be able to
convey it to people in our lives - there
are others out there who do understand!
Just curious.. Does anyone out there feel
that these episodes are affecting their
long-term memories?? Or perhaps i'm
simply getting old!
|
Phaythist
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 1
That Ol' Memory Posted: 09-08-06 15:40pm
Dearest all,
over a year ago I started having what I
initially thought of as deja vu. Since
then my perception of the episodes has
been in a constant evolution. Now I
simply refer to them as "spells". For
the last eleven months I have been keeping
a log of such said experiences. I know
that observation tends to change the
observed, but I really cant get away from
it. So in I dove...
I experince my spells, on the average,
once a month. During theses monthly
runs, I typically have 2-5 experiences in
a clump. I might get 4 spells in an
hour, or 2 over the course of 3 or 4 days.
They last from 30 seconds to a minute.
What I experince seems to be slightly
different from most accounts I have read.
Then again, they all differ from one
antoher in some way. I will do my best
here to explain what it is I experience.
It seems for the most part as if I have
memories that dont realy belong to me.
But they feel most definitely like a
memory. It is very dreamlike. There
is a rush of all sensory perception,
overwhelming often creating a slight
sickness. Light head. Usually unaware
of most of my surroundings. My
girlfriend says it frightens her a little,
claiming I am "not there". If it is a
longer spell, I will have a headache.
When it is over I cannot recall the
"memories" in specific, only a general
tone.
Just to note: I am a 24 year old male in
good physical and mental health.
There it is. Over the last year I have
felt on my own in this part of my life,
for most people just cannot connect. I
am pleased to have found this site. The
range of ideas here is splendid, from
spirituality to neuroscience.
I have no real questions. But am sure I
would appreciate any response. I accept
this aspect of my life and even charish
it. It has a magic to it, even if that
magic comes with a little fear of possible
danger.
|
buffyangel
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2 Location: northeast
Deja Vu And Seizure Dmb24? Posted: 09-23-06 09:12am
Dear dmb24,
and others here with these questions. My
12year old is suddenly experiencing this.
An unprovoked feeling that she has to
remember something, but she doesn't know
what that something is. It's like when I
see someone on tv and I rack my brain
trying to figure where i've seen him
before. The only difference is that she
doesn't choose it. She does get dizzy,
but she doesn't lose consciousness and can
talk to you and do things at the same time
it's happening. It lasts 2-3 seconds. It
sometimes doesn't happen for a week and
then happens frequently, up to 3 times
day. She is otherwise healthy, athletic,
intelligent and sociable (i'm not just
saying that). Initially I thought it was
anxiety, and I took her to her
pediatrician, and she referred us to a
neuro. Her neuro believes these are
partial seizures. She was sent for mri,
eeg and blood tests. All the blood tests
are normal, but we are waiting for the
results of the other two. I'm thinking
the eeg was ok based on the tech's subtle
words, but i'm obsessing somewhat over the
mri (my own anxiety).
I do believe there is something going on
in the temperal lobe.
For dmb24, did you experience only a
simple partial like this, or did it
progress to more complex seizures? Once
you were diagnosed, did you take
medication? What is it, and were you able
to get it under control?
Thanks!
Buffyangel, a worried mom.
|
SincerelyRyan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 1 Location: San Diego
Deja Vu Posted: 04-11-07 03:56am
Well, again I'd like to express how glad I
am that I am not the only one experiencing
these feelings. I think everyone pretty
much painted the picture, with the deja-vu
and dreams and nausea. I've been to a
doctor whom has perscribed me a ton of
things which don't work. They aren't
terrible, but I'd call off work or school
the first day they begin again. Mine last
about 20 seconds and I get them on and off
for 2 days, about every other month or so.
I'm really not an anxious person, I work
hard and go to school full time but
consider things under a pretty
understanding perspective, so I dont buy
anxiety. I guess I'm just waiting for
things to get worse, and then maybe I'll
go visit the doctor again. Like a few
others, its hard to put to words exactly
how crazy these spells feel. Maybe I
should print out some of these
testimonies. Good look fellas! Wikipedia
says these spells are associated with high
levels of creativity. Anybody else work
in creative fields???
|
michael566
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 1
Posted: 07-20-07 10:52am
i have had those feeling to lately ive
gotten more and more of them like
yesterday i got 3 in a row 10 seconds
apart yet they havent caused me any pain
and i havent been on any medicine either
and they were about my game that i was
playing and i just got it from the store
and never had it before
|
mattman8712
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Denton, TX
Intense Deja Vu Posted: 07-26-07 15:05pm
For the first time I am getting some sort
of validation about what I have been
experiencing. My experiences have ranged
in duration from 10 seconds to as long as
10 hrs. The intense, all day episodes are
triggered by what at first seems like a
normal, but intense memory which arises
seemingly out of nowhere. At first I am
curious to explore and "remember" what it
is. If I persist in trying to define
these memories, they become more intense
and approach being indistinguishable from
true memories. By intense concentration
on trying to define the details within the
context presented by this phantom image, I
am catapulted into more intense feelings
of confusion. Suffice it to say the
memories seem important to me - like I
must explore them. I am convinced that
exploration is a kind of "permission"
granted, and allows it to take over. I
have had these types of intense
"strangeness" several times, and they are
charactarized by the inability to make
them stop. A couple of times it has
happened upon waking in the morning, and
can be best described as the continuation
of that "in between" feeling that happens
if you wake suddenly from an intense
dream. Once again, I cannot make it go
away. These morning episodes last about
half a day.
|
rustyp
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Aug 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Atlanta
Evil Deja Vu? Posted: 08-07-07 15:43pm
I am right there with most of you. I am
29 years old and have been getting these
"episodes" since I was around 12. For
some reason this is the first time I have
attempted to research this to see if I
wasn't the only person in the world that
this was happening to (the internet can be
a wonderful thing). I had one the other
day and a "close call" today at my office.
It truly is a feeling that is almost
impossible to describe with words that
comes over me when an episode occurs. I
can feel it coming and I try to fight it
off if you will, but it usually overtakes
me and I am consumed with these dream-like
thoughts and dialogue in my head that I
know by heart when it is happening but I
can never remember after it is gone. In
about 15-30 seconds it is gone and I am
left feeling drained and have a sick,
lonely, sad, and scared feeling about
everything for a few minutes thereafter.
I usually average about only a few
episodes per month max and have found that
stress will increase the liklihood of an
episode. It is not something that I worry
about on a daily basis, but it is one of
the worst feelings when they occur.
|
Jake_Spoon
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Aug 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Mississippi
My Version Posted: 08-14-07 15:02pm
I am a 25 year old male. About two years
ago,I moved back home after being away for
college for about 3 or 4 years. I got a
job at a tire shop until I could use my
degree. Not long after I moved back I
began getting these flashes of what seemed
like deja vu. I was in a place I had been
before, but in a weird way felt like it
was totally different than it should be.
Well, the little deja vu fits were
followed by nausea and an urge to throw
up, but I never have thrown up I always
salivate heavily and have to spit but
thats all. It happened almost everyday for
a while, then slowed down. I still get
them maybe once every other week. Some of
these other stories sound similar to what
I've been going through. I am just
completely baffled, and never really
considered it bad enough to see a doctor.
Any info would help, Thanks
|
vasbor
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 1
I Had a Mri Posted: 10-12-07 21:06pm
I came across this site because I too have
had deja vu with nausea and thumping in my
head. Sometimes 20 a day. The docs did
put me on dilantin thinking it was mild
seizures. I reaally thought it was
anxienty but the mri shows 2 spots on my
brain. I suggest you all ask your doctor
about it.
|
shazann
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 3 Location: ,
Weekenderman Posted: 11-15-07 03:45am
Hey, I am a 44 year old single mum from
Australia. Lately I have been having deja
vu episodes accompanied by feelings of
nausea and later extreme lack of energy. I
was starting to think I was going crazy.
Thank God I got on to the internet and
typed in "deja vu" and I can't believe I
am not alone! Your story struck a chord
with me. I see that it is July 06 that I
am reading and just wondering how you are
now. I am reluctant to talk to anybody,
although I have discussed my feelings with
my children and two close friends. I see
we have a few things in common. When you
said you grab a pen and paper and write
down what triggers the episodes but it
doesn't make sense afterwards I was
gobsmacked! I have only managed to write
down one word and it didn't make sense.
Other than that I can't even manage to get
to a pen! I would really love to hear
back about how you are doing.
shazann
|
brux
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Dec 2007 Posts: 1
I See I'm Not Alone Posted: 12-26-07 16:33pm
This JUST started happening to me 4 days
ago. I did not know how to describe it to
my wife without felling like I was not
doing it justice with mere words. I have
had deja vu for my whole life but this is
like deja vu squared times a thousand. The
symptoms are just like everybody here
says. 30-60 seconds of intense dreamy deja
vu sometimes with a fresh airy smell of a
distant house fire or something. I get
nauseous. I am totally aware of my
surroundings the whole time and am
cognizant that this is not real. The
"vision" is always some rapid sequence of
"profound" "memories" which seem to lead
up to some inevitable very scary outcome,
which I never get to because it fades away
before I have a chance to "figure it out".
It's like some telepathic message from
another dimension that seems to warn me of
something that is to happen, but I can't
quite grasp to meaning of it all. And
perhaps the wierdest part of it all is
that as profound as it is, I still retain
all my faculties and current state of
being at the same time so that I'm
operating on two or more planes at the
same time as the same person. I only wish
that I could convey to my wife the
profoundness of it without sounding crazy.
I saw someone here write that when it's
over, they are left with a sad, empty or
lonely feeling which I have also felt.
Also, I find myself trying to make it
happen or remotely wishing it would
happen, but when it does, I dont like it.
I'm putting my money on temporal lobe
seizure as cause. I'm wondering if
everyone else's experiences are as scary
and/or profound as mine? I think that if I
could turn just one of these experiences
into a movie, it would be a BLOCKBUSTER!
|
shazann
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 3 Location: ,
I See I'm Not Alone Posted: 12-28-07 04:05am
I have gone five weeks without this deja
vu thing happening to me. I am feeling
really well at the moment and am hoping
that it was maybe a hormonal/stress
related thing. Although I have been
feeling so stressed leading up to
Christmas I am surprised it didn't happen.
You describe it so well. The almost
wishing it to happen so you can work it
out but hating it when it does happen. I
agree about the Blockbuster movie. There
are characters in my deja vu experiences
that I don't know. Although I feel as if I
should, if that makes sense. It's like you
are being put back into a situation you
have been in before and there is a reason
for you being there but you don't know
what it is. The thing I hate about it is
that it took me four days after the last
"feeling" to get my energy and happiness
back. Phew, I know it's a caca thing to go
through but I do feel so much better
knowing I am not alone. Show this to your
wife, you are lucky to have someone there
to share with. If she sees other stories
it may help you.
|
moosa80
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 1
Re: I Thought I Was Alone!!!! Posted: 02-19-08 08:18am
Hi KatQ222,
Everything that you just said you've been
suffering from is EXACTLY what I've been
having the last couple of years. I
haven't really said anything because I
don't know how to explain it and I was
worried that people thought I was crazy.
What happens is that I would dream of
something and later on snippets of
scenarios would pop up in my head and I'd
get lightheaded and my stomach would start
turning and I feel as if I'd like to
vomit. I'd also get dizzy, but it would
only last about half a minute or so. I
still have them and lately it seems to
come on a bit more. I don't know if I
should see a doctor or just tolerate it.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience
because like you said, I thought I was
pretty much the only one.
KatQ222
wrote:
Ever since I was in
elementary school I have had extreme deja
vu. However, because the symptoms I was
having (rapid heart rate, heavy chest
pains, turning stomach, headaches, severe
sweating, passing out) they thought it was
anxiety. Which, I do have anxiety... But
this is not it...Its no where near this
intense, especially in a short period of
time (30 sec). Eventually I stopped
having them... Until a few months ago
(now 21 yrs old). I will have these
almost skit-like dreams where 3 or 4
different 30-second scenerios play out in
my head that make no sense at all when I
wake up. Then a few weeks go by and out
of nowhere, and in a random place, my
chest starts to hurt really bad, then I
get sweaty and I know its coming but I
cant stop it. Then comes the intense part
where I turn pale and my heart starts
racing, I get dizzy, then I have to sit
down. I dont know that this was my dream
until the end because I remember dreaming
it and not understanding it because its
usually somewhere ive never been. And I
know exactly what people are going to say
or do. It has bothered me since I was in
4th grade and no one beleived how much it
drains my body to experience this. The
doctors laughed at me. I dont know how to
help you, but I do know that I have these
episodes too and allthough it sucks, im
glad im not alone.
|
megged
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 1
Glad I'm not alone Posted: 02-19-08 08:52am
I've had these sensations for years and I
never get used to them. For myself, I
think they're related to my hormones as
they almost always occur in the middle of
my menstrual cycle, although I will
occasionally have one at the start of my
cycle. I have assumed they were connected
to PMDD, which I have suffered from since
about age 12, but even on Wellbutrin and
Lexapro for depression and anxiety, I
still get 1-2 episodes every month like
clockwork. I can feel them coming on and
can predict their course. Mine always
involve the same snippets of music, like a
soundtrack. I almost always feel nausea in
association with these events. They also
leave me briefly confused about my
whereabouts and the date and time. I
always feel washed out and depressed by
these episodes, but knowing I'm not alone
really helps! I asked my doctor about
these symptoms in relation to temporal
lobe epilepsy, but she dismissed my
question, stating that nearly anything can
cause this phenomenon.
|
julia__d
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 1
Wondering if fluoride is to blame! Posted: 03-20-08 20:07pm
I have had very similar episodes for a
couple years -- and couldn't find any
medical "condition" that officially
identified it. I went to a nerologist and
even a cardiologists, and got the official
"scans," etc., and started keeping track
of when they happened as well. (For a
while, I had some muscular tics that were
significant as well.)
After I got the all-clear from my
neurologist and my cardiologist, I started
to really wonder what it could be. One
thing I noticed was that my tics got
really bad after a recent visit to my
dentist. (I noticed this when I looked at
my calendar.) My dentist had given me
toothpaste with extra fluoride in it to
use once a day (called Fluoridex, or
something like that) because I have
basically weak teeth. (Though I am
obsessive about brushing and flossing!)
After noticing the conincidence of the
dentist visit/toothpaste and the tics, I
switched back to normal toothpaste, and
the tics all but stopped, very suddenly,
10 days after I quit the toothpaste. (One
day, I was getting 80 tics a minute, the
next day - 2 per minute.) I asked my
dentist about it, and she said she'd never
heard of it.
A few months later, I thought, maybe the
fluoride was related to my episodes. So, I
switched 100 percent to non-fluoride
toothpaste. (Tom's of Maine has some.) I'm
now extra-extra careful about brushing,
but -- guess what? NO MORE EPISODES. It's
been 3 months now - and before, I'd always
get at least one or two episodes a month,
or sometimes one day in a month I would
get 6 or 7 episodes. (Talk about
draining.....)
I read more about fluoride, and it's so
controversial that it's hard to know
what's what, but it seems to work for me
to not ingest it at all. Incidentally,
think of how easily the fluoride is
absorbed into your bloodstream from under
the tongue - the same place nitroglycerine
is administered for heart attack victims.
I would be VERY curious to see if anybody
else out there quits fluoride (check your
water supply if you live in a city!) and
have symptoms improve. Additionally, I
received a lot of fluroide as a kid -- I
even have white marks on the bottom of my
teeth from "fluoride treatments" at the
dentist when I was little.
If you do quit fluride, please post here,
and be sure to brush extra well and get
lots of calcium in your diet!
- Julia
|
producer2357
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 1
Posted: 04-27-08 22:40pm
Hey, I'm 20 years old, and I have been
getting it since I was about 16. I just
wrote it off as smoking to much marijuana
for a while, but I actually got it more
often afterward when I stopped for a year,
so I know it wasn't that. I just have some
questions though to see if you have what I
have:
-Does it come really random, but when it
hits get it a few times daily for a span
of a couple days?
-do you feel weird until the "deja-vu"
sets in? Almost like you know its coming?
-Have you been to doctors?
I've gone to many doctors, tookin EKG,
EEG, MRIs because much like you said I
used to get it once in a while and found
it interesting, but soo many episodes was
driving me crazy. They tested me, sent me
to a couple different neurologists some of
which thought it was partial brain
seizures, but all tests and others ran
suggested otherwise...to this day I never
got a full explanation.
|
Richie3lions
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2
Posted: 06-24-08 20:16pm
I too have had these feelings,for me i
would have the dejavu feeling,an once it
was over i would get a feeling inbetween
my stomach an chest like when your on a
rollercoaster an you drop from a great
height, also when the dejavu was over i
wud have a cold sweat,sometimes feeling
disorinatated for mins,hours an sometimes
days.i had one strange time where say it
was a monday,an a monday feels like a
monday your back in work but u dont wannna
be there its a feeling you get,well after
the funnny turns that day wudnt feel like
like that day,if uve experienced it you
know what i mean.Ive been for the scans an
were all clear but the other day i had 4
grand mal seizures threw the might in my
sleep an threw the day,i have been told
that its epilepsy that i have an have to
take 2 tablets every day,tablets called
keppra,as i have only been on them a
couple of days i dont know what they will
do for me,but i must say my memory has
been affected badly since having the grand
mal seizures,that dejavu feeling are small
seizures an have also affected my memory
at some stage.
I thought i was strange when i first
discoverd these problems but theres ansews
out there to what exactly this
is,hopefully they will find a cure,but i
say dont let it affect life to much an get
on with it as we do
|
Landi
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Dar es Salaam , Tanzania
deja vu attacks Posted: 07-14-08 06:19am
Can anyone help me please. In the last 2
days I already had 4 deja vu attacks and I
get it so bad that I feel nauseous and my
hand begin to ache. Why is it?
|
Richie3lions
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2
Posted: 07-14-08 16:17pm
go to your doctors an explain it,they
should refer you to a neuorologist,they
can gie you tablets an do test befor you
have a seizure/fit like i did
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